[homicidalmaniac]

I hate to say it, but I'm at the last straw with my dutchy. She has a bad habit of ripping our washing off the clothes line, and so i haven't been putting any washing on the line, but our dryer has broken, so i had to use it. I tried raising the line as high as it would go.. and tied water bombs to the line, an idea i got from another site. She got her little teeth on a pair of my sisters work pants, as well as some underwear. If this keeps up i may have to tie her up when there is washing on the line. Does anyone have any advice that can stop me going this far? Please?

Also, she seems to have worked out selective deafness, does anyone have any advice on ensuring dogs coming when called?

Thanks so much in advance.

 

[eklind51]

don't let her outside when there are clothes on the line.

 

[homicidalmaniac]

unfortunately its not an option. She cant be trusted inside alone, and i cant be home with her the whole time things are on the line.

 

[Baloo317]

Crate training.

Labs need near constant supervision for a loonngg time. She's a dog, she has no way of knowing that the clothes aren't appropiate playthings if she's not supervised and re-directed. If you can't do that then keep her inside, and crate ehr if you can't watch her.

And a reliable recall comes from good training and adequate proofing.

 

[homicidalmaniac]

Well, she's an inside/outside dog and isn't crated. She stays outside with toys while we are at work, as we have rather a large yard and would rather she's able to run around, however if nothing works, she will have to be crated while I'm at work, I'm just worried that i wont always be there to take her out often enough.

Someone on another site advised chilly soaked towels on the line, to deter the behaviour. Thanks.

 

[Garth]

Get her a cat so she's got something else to chase & take her mind off the washing. Sorry, it's the only solution I can think of.

Slight thread hijack HM, Go & join the Aussie JL'ers group on here. We need some pics of Tassie.

 

[homicidalmaniac]

hehe, well she's got a cat to chase, and a rabbit to watch. Not to mention the birds to try to catch.... she's not good at that one, thank god.

And if i knew where the aussie JLs group was.. i would be there.

 

[Garth]

And if i knew where the aussie JLs group was.. i would be there.

Click on the "community" tab at the top of the page.

Click on "social groups".

Click on the Aussie map.

Top right corner, "join group".

Easy aye what?

 

[Trickster]

If pulling clothes off the line is the worst she has done so far while outside alone, I'd say that you have done VERY well. If I had left my outside alone as pups my whole yard would have been destroyed.

Frankly, unless you are there to correct her in the act, there isn't anything you can do. If you must keep her outside while you are gone (I will respect the cultural difference here!), I suggest a secure kennel for her.

 

[Baloo317]

Well, I don't know about your girl, but Baloo would LOVE to play with chilly soaked towels. I'm assuming you meant "chilly" as in temperature. If you meant "chili" as in the spice/seasoning, he'd like that even better.

I agree with Trickster. If you leave a young lab unsupervised anywhere, everything is fair game. Also, on the off chance she likes the chilly/chili soaked towels a little TOO much, you risk her actually consuming the fabric and potentially ending up with an obstruction.

 

[sarah]

If Milly is outside while I'm at work I put the clothes inside on an indoor airing rack. When I get home, she comes in and I place the rack outside or transfer the clothes to the line if the weather permits.

Have you tried that?

 

[homicidalmaniac]

Thanks Garth. Just found it about 3 seconds after i posted. I can be blonde sometimes.

I did mean chilli soaked towels, i think its known.. i am THE worst speller on JL. Feel free to correct me.

Well.. i guess there is nothing i can do other than removing the temptation. I am going to try the chilli soaked towels as many on other sites have said it works a charm. If that doesn't work, looks like she'll be tied up or grated when i have a large amount of washing. Thanks all for your fast reply.

 

[Trickster]

Ours LOVE spicy Indian food, so chili may or may not be much of a detterant for your girl. Mine would think they hit the jackpot if they found a chili soaked frozen towel.

 

[patm]

I don't think there is actually anything you can "do" to make her not play with clothes on a line if they are in her yard while she is there alone. If you have a large yard, then I also think that an outside kennel might be a good idea. My dogs stay in an outside kennel during the day while we are gone and are with us (wherever that might be) when we are home and sleep in the house at night. Their kennel become more like a "large crate" for them and they sleep most of the time.

 

[kaznalf]

You can get sound horns so when you catch her doing it sound the horn and say leave it! Its a sound adversion training technique..thats the only thing i can suggest we did it with our collie when he liked chewing the fence

 

[patm]

If that doesn't work, looks like she'll be tied up or grated when i have a large amount of washing. Thanks all for your fast reply.

Oh please don't grate her - I'm sure theres SOMETHING you can do before taking that drastic measure! (sorry - just watchted FARGO again last night and couldn't resist)

 

[HersheyK's Dad]

I am assuming this is a young lab. You have eliminated several options, i.e. crating, supervision, inside when clothes are hanging, etc. The first thing that comes into my mind, not nice to say, is that you are expecting a young Lab to know that the flag the breeze is blowing is not what he/she is supposed to try to grab. Hmmmm! The kindest thing I can say is, 'Good Luck!'

Can you fence off the area where the clothes line is? Seriously, without supervision, separation is the only thing I can come up with.